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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

The loneliness creeps up on me. It appears out of left field. The desire to just go and hang out with friends, go out to eat, even browse stacks at the library. The library is closed and books are available for remote order and self pick up by appointment only. Work is still like a ghost town. We are beginning to get the first wave of people looking for help to avoid evictions. Our CARES Act funding is gone. We are hoping that a new relief bill will provide more funding as well as extend the eviction moratorium. What is demoralizing is that COVID or not, some landlords are getting around the moratorium by charging lease violations. I have a friend that had to find another home to rent because her landlord didn't tell her he was in foreclosure and had a short sale closing in 21 days! I am still doing housing inspections by Facetime. Lease-signing still is in person, but the contacts are kept very brief. We were encouraged to work from home on the 20th. I decided to take a vacation day and celebrate my son's birthday by cooking shrimp scampi and his favorite chocolate cake. I am woefully amazed at the selfishness of some legislators who adamantly refused to wear masks when sheltering from the violent assault on the Capitol. One of my representatives tested positive as a result. His whole family is in quarantine. You can't know how vulnerable someone is , or perhaps someone in their household is, by looking at them. I can't wrap my brain around how many people have been so duped. I was horrified that the Confederate Flag was used in the assault. As a nation, we are still experiencing the aftershocks of Reconstruction backlash. Just look at the disparities in health outcomes. We had health officials blaming minorities for having preexisting conditions that make them more likely to have severe COVID and die, when the structure and funding of our health care system (?), Big Agra, and trauma also contribute. I went on a novel-reading frenzy as soon as I was done with finals last semester... Classes start back up on Tuesday, with one class in hybrid format (1.5 hours Zoom Live and 1.5 hours in person). I hope they don't cancel that class again. This is the third semester I have tried to enroll in it, and it is the last class I need before internship. My anxiety is like a low-grade fever. Just enough to be uncomfortable, not enough to paralyze. I am finding ways to connect with people. I found a book discussion forum for mental health professionals that was very fulfilling and encouraging.